Flight of Fancy
by geekvsnerd
Summary: 30 Years Later


I made a choice. That choice was to stay put. I didn't buy an apartment, I stayed where I was; I worked until it drove me mad. I woke up everyday for 30 years with the same thought:

_ Nothing will be the slightest bit different today._

I decided to put my dreams in a box, neatly wrapped in cellophane for someone else to enjoy.

I put up my suit of ferns and green leaves and donned a brown sports jacket. I walked to and from the office every morning, never bothering to peer through the smog at the stars overhead, because I knew. I knew that if I gave the sky even the slightest bit of a glance, I'd be tempted to rise on my toes just a little.

I'd tell myself it would be just so I could see over the next hill, just so I could make sure I could still see my house in the distance. And then I'd wonder, what does it feel like to be a foot taller? What's the perspective from a height of 6"2'? I could rest my feet this way. I could rotate my ankles a little, loosen the tension that comes with 30 years of sitting behind a desk. If I scrunch my shoulders, no one will even notice I'm off the ground.

You know...

I could get there faster if I simply hopped from building to building. Never mind using the street, I'll just make my own path. Up there, I could see the sun rising in the distance. Even this time of year, when it's cold and gray, I could make out that harsh yellow orb.

I miss the heat and the colour of home. Not home, I mustn't think of it that way. No respectable home is without a roof and fireplace. No decent community is bereft of a post office. No, I must think if it only as a dream.

_A wonderful dream._

An **impossible** dream! Silly, stupid, absurd.

_Remember the bright lights of the campfires? The way the food tasted? How peacefully you slept?_

No, I can't listen. I can't walk down that path.

_If I let my fancies take over, I might not come back this time._

This time? Where did that come from? Were those my thoughts?

_ Remember the bewitching lights of the fairies? The way they taunted you as they flit in and out of between tree branches? It felt like if you could just catch one, you'd get all you'd ever wished for._

_ "The greatest Adventure of all."_

Hold on now you're floating! Someone will notice! That's better. Down on the cobblestones again. Mustn't draw attention to myself, mustn't let those feelings take hold.

Almost home now, better go to bed early. I'm not tired yet.

Well, as long as I'm being sentimental, it couldn't hurt to pull out the old costume. Maybe I'll just take a peek at it. No one will know. Maybe moths have gotten in and started eating away at it; quick look!

No, it's fine. Better than fine. It's more gorgeous than I remembered. It shines even still with a radiant, otherworldly glow. It's doused in magic, fresh as the day I first put it on.

I wonder if it would still fit?

"Huh!" It still does! I can't believe how it feels; so light, so strong. Woven as it is from mermaid's tears, the fabric glides over my legs like a stag moving through tall grass. The boots still feel like they've got some use in them yet. They don't make them like this here...

But, what's this in the pocket? Can it be? Oh my goodness. My knife. The curved blade shines in the moonlight streaming in through the skylight. Oh, it's been ages since I held this in my hand. What I would give to be young again. Maybe just try a few practice swings. How natural it feels in my hand. Like another limb. Oh, but I've gone too far. I'd better put this stuff away before someone sees me. You know. Maybe I can just fly around the house for a little bit before anyone gets home. Rearrange things on the top shelves, I've been meaning to do that anyway. But, that open window looks so inviting. No, I'd catch my death.

_ The breeze whips through the room, surprisingly warm and inviting, as though sent from someplace far off, singing of warm beaches and sand._

Well, it's not like anyone would see me...No, I can't! I have to stop this right now! I've made a commitment. I made a promise to myself. I've long since grown up. I'm past all this nonsense.

There, back on my feet.

Sort of.

Well, at least I can see the floor from here.

What would be the harm in just taking a quick spin through the moonlight? I'm already up here. Sure, and if I get lost, I can just...take some supplies. Yes. It's not as though I'm even facing the right direction, it's that way_...toward the moon_. I can feel the earth rotating beneath me, spinning me in that direction.

I can almost taste the sunshine, feel the years dropping away into the blackness away below me. Why the excuses? I'm old enough to make my own decisions, aren't I? Why, I'm nearly 80 years old, I could go if I wanted to. Naturally though, I don't really want to. It's just a fancy of mine. I'm being silly. I need rest. I can't really remember where it is, anyway.

_ "First star to the right and then straight on until morning."_

No! Shut up! I can't...I'm too old...I...Why the hell not?! Why don't I just take off? I could see it one last time...I could go and be back before anyone missed me. Yes, I'll do it. They can get by without me for a few days...weeks...

How long have I been flying? I can't see the city anymore. All this time I've been moving toward it, it's all I can see now, that star. The sun will rise in a few moments. Even now, my family is noticing the open window, the box by the bed. But the sun is starting to rise. I can see the mountains in the distance.

I'm home.

**A/N: **

I wrote this in 2011 way back before I knew anything about fan fiction. After some careful editing, I decided to post it here. Hope you enjoyed!


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